Microwave and millimeter wave radio communications are widely used to transfer large amounts of data, such as in earth and space microwave long-distance communications links. They are also of interest for shorter-range, lower-power applications such as the basic voice, video, and data links between a cellular base station and a central telephone office. Such microwave communications systems are generally termed point-to-point systems.
Point-to-multipoint radio communication systems generally provide wireless access to communication networks. A typical point-to-multipoint system includes many base stations that are arranged over a service area. Base stations form the access points to the communication network. Each base station may include an antenna and a transceiver. The transceiver in the base station receives and transmits radio signals via the antenna to link multiple access points to the communication network. Generally, the antenna in the base station is typically a sector antenna.
With the proliferation of wireless telecommunications, there is an increased demand for high performance millimeter wave and microwave radio frequency (“RF”) systems. These systems need to cover a large ranger of frequencies, to work as unprotected or protected systems, and to use different types of antenna and mounting configurations. Therefore, point-to-point and point-to-multipoint system physical packaging becomes increasingly important. Existing radio frequency units and antennas are bulky, heavy, visually obtrusive, and, in many cases, difficult to mount, change modules, shift operating frequencies and conduct operational or preventative maintenance. Further, with the proliferation of point-to-point and point-to-multipoint systems, new mounting space on existing masts and elsewhere has become more difficult to find thereby increasing the need for efficient packaging of RF transceivers. Because of this multitude of options, the radios, internal circuitry, and mechanical packaging in prior communications systems have different dimensions and correspond to specific applications.